Making Up the Past
by renisanz
Summary: There is a reason why the people of Earth shouldn't drink the wine. Ronon/Keller
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Making Up the Past (Part 1)

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, drama (Ronon/Keller)

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.

This story jumps back and forth in time much like _Tabula Rasa_. I mention this so you, the reader, won't be confused at the first time jump. I realized that it's especially confusing if you haven't seen_The Seer_, or _BAMSR_ of which the first scene is a tag.

You may want to read my previous fic "Save Room" before starting on this one. This story acts independently of the plot of that, but it does do a bit in establishing Ronon and Jennifer's relationship.

* * *

"_You know, pretty soon, other people are gonna find out too. You're gonna have to tell them."_

Dr. Jennifer Keller could understand why Teyla would have reservations about informing her teammates of her recent condition. The missions that John Sheppard's team went on had a tendency to end with them running for their lives to the 'Gate, a hail of bullets/stunner beams/insert-primitive-weapon-here following closely behind. It was likely that she would be relieved of her position on the Colonel's team for her own safety and well-being.

Teyla had assured Jennifer that she would inform her team of her pregnancy in due time, and that until then she would be extra cautious in going on missions. Jennifer had decided to trust her. Teyla was very capable physically, and she did not want to deprive Teyla of the opportunity to be actively involved in the search for her people, the Athosians. It was a small miracle that Teyla had avoided miscarrying the baby after their ordeal on New Athos, the physical punishment Teyla had received at the hands of the Bola Kai.

After two full months had passed by with Teyla still having not informed her teammates, Dr. Keller could not help but worry that she would have no choice but to make her superiors aware of Teyla's condition.

But then Teyla had shown up at the infirmary with Ronon in tow. Jennifer was about to open her mouth to tell Ronon to give them some privacy, when Teyla spoke.

"He knows." She held Jennifer's gaze for a moment and then looked away. "Colonel Sheppard, as well."

_Thank God_. Jennifer hoped her relief wasn't too evident.

Ronon, who had been standing silently by Teyla's side, now placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Oh. Well then, what can I do for you," Dr. Keller inquired. "Have you still been experiencing nausea?"

"A little. However, I was stunned by a wraith weapon on the mission we just arrived from, and I need to know if everything is all right. . . with my child." Teyla's hand came to rest protectively on her abdomen.

Jennifer's eyes widened with realization. "Yes, of course. Let's get you prepped for an ultrasound."

That had been nearly five months ago.

Jen found it odd that her mind would decide to recall that event from all that time ago, as she herself sat as a patient in the infirmary for the first time since she'd been on Atlantis. As her mind cleared from the fog of sleep, the first thing she'd been aware of was the fact that she was on her back. She almost always slept on her stomach, face sunk into the softness of her goose down pillow, one the few amenities she'd allowed herself to bring back to Atlantis after her last trip home to Chippewa Falls.

"Hey, Jen?" A deep, gravely voice soothed. "Nurse, she's waking up."

By now Jen was fully alert. And confused. "Ronon? What happened?" Though, she already had a vague idea. Jennifer had been feeling unusually fatigued all week. As usual, she'd been filing her daily reports. It wasn't late, but she felt incredibly tired, despite making a point to have gotten eight hours of sleep the night before. She finally caved and decided to go fetch a cup of anything with enough caffeine it it to allow her to finish her work. Things got kind of hazy after that.

"You passed out," Ronon was saying. "I found you on the floor of your office." She found herself more unsettled by the intensity of Ronon's worried expression than she was for her current predicament.

Jen's eyes widened. "Really?! This is _so_ embarrassing," she mumbled. Then it dawned on her. "Oh my gosh, am I okay?" She prayed she hadn't caught another strange alien bug that would systematically infect everyone on base, causing erratic behavior in the military officers in particular, and everything to fall into chaos. Again.

"Everything is fine," Dr. Pedersen chimed in. "Your blood tests came back negative for any pathogens." He glanced through the information on her medical chart. After scribbling some notes, he continued, "and since there's been no quarantine lock down, it's safe to say you don't have anything particularly contagious."

"Well, that's good to know," Jennifer commented. Ronon moved aside to allow Dr. Pedersen access to Jen's bedside. He shone a pen light in each of Jennifer's eyes, checking for pupil dilation.

Jennifer found herself less relieved than she expected to find out that she did not, in fact, have an explosive tumor or anything.

"Yes, it is," Dr. Pedersen agreed, as he noted another thing on Jennifer's chart. "I'm releasing you to your quarters. You're scheduled for work tomorrow, but I'm recommending that you take the day off to get some rest."

Jennifer opened her mouth to protest but the doctor cut her off.

"I've already spoken to Colonel Carter about it, and she's approved my recommendation. That is, if you need any more convincing." The doctor sighed and his tone softened. "Everyone needs a break sometime Jennifer. Even you."

"Ok," Jennifer said softly. "Thanks." She managed a grateful smile. The doctor gave a small nod and walked away.

She really wanted to cry right now. She was the head of medicine on the most important scientific expedition in the history of Earth. . .and she had fainted from exhaustion?! How professional was that?

"Hey. . ." Jen started slightly as she felt a hand stroke her hair. Ronon. He'd been so quiet during her consult with the Doctor, she had forgotten he was there. Well, not really forgotten. Once the Satedan made his presence known, he didn't easily fade from memory. She was always fascinated with how someone of such formidable stature managed to move with such stealth. She had not even seen him move from the corner of the room to where he stood now at her bedside.

It was everything she needed and all that she didn't at once. Even as she savored the comfort of having Ronon near, the warmth of his touch enveloped her, breaking down barriers which, at the moment, she so needed to remain fortified. With the little strength she had remaining, she willed the tears not to fall–not yet. All she had to do was last until she got out of the infirmary. She wouldn't bet she could make it the distance to her quarters.

"Come on," Ronon consoled. With a steadying arm around her waist, he helped Jennifer down from the hospital bed. Then they were in the corridor, away from the infirmary. Ronon might as well have been carrying her for all energy she was putting into the navigation of the journey. As Ronon guided her left at an intersection where Jennifer normally would have turned right, a realization knifed through the fog of fatigue. Ronon wasn't taken her to her quarters.

"Trust me."

* * *

_Eight weeks earlier._

"Ugh. . . I have nothing to wear," Jennifer sighed in defeat as she plopped down on her bed. When preparing to go on a scientific expedition to another galaxy, the thought to pack a party dress had somehow slipped her mind.

Now that she had a moment to take in her surroundings, Jennifer realized she'd really made a mess of her living quarters while rummaging though her, she now realized, rather meager wardrobe. There was either her medical uniform and coordinates or some very casual clothes that ranged from jeans and blouses to tank tops and jersey knit pants that were meant to be for exercise, but only seemed to be worn when she was either sleeping or lounging about the base.

And now she was expected to come up with some type of formal attire to attend a wedding feast of the Ferran prince.

After the successful annihilation of the Replicator threat, Colonel Carter had led the expedition in refocusing their attention on reestablishing diplomatic relations with former allies and seeking out new ones. There had been cursory first contact with the Ferrans several months ago. But then Replicators had attacked Atlantis, forcing the expedition to take the city into space in a desperate attempt to save themselves.

Now, with the threat of the Replicators no longer looming, and the Wraith on the brink of civil war and no longer culling worlds, things were relatively quiet in the Pegasus Galaxy.

However, the gravity of recent events seemed to pale in comparison when a girl couldn't find a decent dress to wear.

With an exasperated sigh, Jennifer flopped backward on her bed, not bothering to shove aside the pile of clothes she had dropped there earlier. She had just begun to relax when door chimed. Seeing as she hardly ever had any visitors to her personal quarter, Jennifer jumped up to greet whoever was at the door.

The door swooshed open, and Jennifer was slightly startled to find Ronon Dex towering over her.

"Ronon? Hi. . ." she greeted.

Ronon had a strange look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh. . . yeah."

"Ok. . .You haven't torn your stitches _again_, have you?" Despite Jennifer's frustration with Ronon's resistance to "taking it easy" on his injuries, in the end she found herself enjoying the thoughtful silences that stretched between them whenever she stitched him up. He seemed quite comfortable with her treatment. And, if she allowed herself to consider it, he did seem to prefer that she be the one to treat him whenever he landed in the infirmary. Either that, or he just happened to hurt himself when he knew she would be on duty. But the latter was just too crazy to be true. It was an amusing thought, though.

"Not this time, Doc," Ronon smirked.

"Well, that's slight relief," Jennifer said, as she crossed her arms. "So, what's up?"

Ronon glanced over her head into the disarray that was her room. "You busy?"

Jennifer realized that whatever wanted to say to her, he didn't want to do it out in the hall. Embarrassed, Jennifer looked back into her room as well and winced. "Not really. Come in." She finally moved aside while gesturing for the tall man to move past the threshold. "Sorry about the mess," she apologized as she hurried to scoop up a pile of clothes from her desk chair.

"Looks like a Tazmanian Devil's been through here."

Jennifer stopped what she was doing and whirled to face Ronon. She had not expected him to be standing so close behind her. Suddenly her cheeks felt very warm. She quickly recovered her composure while tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "Colonel Sheppard's been showing you _Loony Toons_ now, too?" She was amazed at how quickly Ronon had picked up Earth's pop-culture references.

"Yeah." A Ronon flashed a brilliant smile. "Good stuff."

He tucked his hands in the pockets of his leather pants and rocked on his heels. "So. . .I wanted to know if you had any plans tonight."

Jennifer felt something twist inside. "Not in particular. I mean, I was looking for something to wear to Prince Gaeven's wedding feast that's in less than two days, but that seems like a lost cause." Jennifer plopped on her bed, as a renewed feeling of defeat creeping upon her.

"Why is that?" Ronon looked concerned. He finally sat down, arranging the desk chair backwards while he faced Jennifer.

"Well, the one time in my life I get invited to go to a big party, and I have nothing to wear that fits the occasion. Times like this I almost wish I'd spent more time reading _Teen Vogue_ than studying."

Ronon nodded. Though he didn't know what_ Teen Vogue_ was, he seemed to get the point Jennifer was making. "This really means a lot to you," Ronon stated.

"Yeah. I guess it does," Jennifer affirmed. For the last few moments she had been toying with the fringe of the blanket on her bed, nervously. "I mean, I wouldn't even be going if the Prime Minister hadn't specifically requested I be there." She sighed. "Who would have thought they'd make such a big deal out of me inoculating their "wee babes" and providing them with a few more sophisticated medical supplies?"

She flopped backwards on her bed once more.

Suddenly Ronon was leaning over her. She would never get used to how fast the man moved.

He grabbed her hand, gently tugging, indicating for her to get up. "Can I just sulk for a few minutes?" she pouted, trying to pull her arm out of his grasp.

Ronon responded by plopping down on the bed beside her, the narrow mattress creaking loudly in protest of the added weight. Involuntarily, Jennifer's body slid closer to Ronon from the dent his body made on his side of the bed. Her hands came up to rest against his chest as she steadied herself, the bed still bouncing slightly.

"Well," she giggled, "I'd say my bed is officially broken in."

"Yeah, it's pretty comfy," Ronon agreed. "The company's not bad, either," he added while snaking an arm around Jennifer's waist, pulling her closer still.

Jennifer was out of witty replies at that. All she could think of was how close Ronon was to her now. She could feel his breath blowing lightly against her mouth. She dared to look down at his full lips, which she saw were moving closer to her own. Her lidded eyes fluttered shut.

She smiled as she felt the tip of his nose nuzzle hers, the hair of his goatee tickling her lip. The faint scent of something akin to sandalwood aroused her senses. She barely felt his lips caress the tip of her nose, then her cheek, where he finally planted a soft kiss. It wasn't until she felt his weight lift from beside her that she opened her eyes.

She didn't quite like the smirk that was playing across his lips as he pulled her up from the bed. "Wait. . .what just. . . ?" she stammered.

"Do you already have plans for tonight or what?" Ronon prodded. His hazel-brown eyes searched her brown ones as he waited for her response.

It was starting to unnerve Jennifer how he could regain composure so quickly while she remained a red-faced, flustered mess. "Well. . . I guess. . .no?"

"Cool." He beamed. "And don't worry about what to wear to the party. I think I have a solution."

"_Really,_" Jennifer doubted.

"Trust me."

Jennifer wanted to, though she had no idea what Ronon had in mind. She was perplexed as to what exactly this "thing" was between them. She found that she really enjoyed his company, and he wasn't bad on the eyes either. Ronon also had a gentleness about him that belied his rugged appearance.

Her conflicted emotions must have been apparent on her face, because Ronon asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah," Jennifer swallowed. "I just, uhm, need to know something from you," she said, stepping closer to him. _It's now or never_, she thought. Taking a deep breath for courage, she closed the short distance between them gently grabbed the front of Ronon's shirt, tugging him down to her, as she tipped her toes slightly to meet him. She was happy when he didn't resist, and in an instant her lips pressed against his.

After a few seconds, Jennifer pulled away from the kiss, only to feel Ronon lean forward to capture her mouth once more. She felt his hand come to rest on her hip, pulling her closer to him, and she parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss, her tongue caressing his lower lip. His resultant growl of pleasure made Jennifer want to squeal in delight at his expression of mutual attraction, however, she reasoned that she should put an end to things before the situation grew too heated. She allowed his tongue to stroke hers once more before finally drawing away from him.

"Wow," Jennifer whispered against his mouth. "I guess you answered my question right."

"Good." Ronon leaned back so he could take in her face, both hands now resting on her slim hips. "You should ask questions like that more often. And you're cute when you blush," he smirked.

That made Jennifer blush even more. The fact that Ronon Dex could find someone as plain as her even the least bit interesting, to say nothing of attractive, made her heart do all kinds of somersaults. "Thanks," was the only reply she could manage.

"So about later tonight. . .," Ronon started.

"Oh, I have a shift at the infirmary later."

Ronon's look of disappointment was irresistibly endearing.

"It's mostly doing paperwork, so I won't be there long, barring any medical emergencies that demand my attention," Jennifer said.

"Why, what did you have in mind?" She was curious.

"Sheppard's having a movie night, showing something called _Serenity_. You heard of it?"

"Oh my gosh. That's one of my favorite movies!"

"So, you down to go?"

"Uh,_yeah_. I guess we can grab some dinner after my shift. . . "

"Perfect. I'll come by the infirmary."

"Six o'clock."

"I'll see you then." With that he released her hips from his grasp and let himself out of her quarters. Jennifer was pretty sure she observed an extra spring in his gait.

After the door to her room swooshed closed, Jennifer threw herself upon her bed once more, burying her face in her pillow trying to contain her excitement. _Ronon __likes__ me_, she mused. Inhaling deeply to calm her racing heart, she could still smell the rustic aroma that was a delightful reminder of the Satedan.

* * *

_Forty-eight hours later._

When Jennifer awakened that morning, she found it strange that the scent of Ronon's hair had lingered on her pillow for two days after his brief time there. She inhaled deeply and then rolled over in bed, only to have her cheek smack onto something warm, firm, and very shoulder-like.

She immediately jumped back, gasping as her eyes shot open.

Her sudden movement seemed to stir Ronon awake. He looked around, disoriented for a moment before his gaze rested on Jennifer. "Uh. . .hi," he said, his voice even more gravely than usual from sleep.

Jennifer's mind was racing at the speed of light. She now realized she was in her guest quarters on Ferra, but she couldn't remember anything previous to when she had first arrived on the planet for the wedding feast.

She was terrified. And very naked, she noticed.

"Oh my God. . . what did we do?" She sat up and making sure to keep the sheet pulled over her chest.

Ronon sat up as well. Jennifer tried not to stare as his muscular upper-body was revealed. "I guess we. . . ya know. It's kinda fuzzy actually," he admitted, suddenly sheepish.

"Ronon, I can't remember anything." Jennifer tried to keep her emotions under control. It was bad enough she didn't remember going to bed with Ronon at all, but frankly, she could have done worse. And they weren't exactly strangers.

"What do you mean?" Ronon, asked, concern evident in his features.

"I mean _nothing_. The last thing I remember clearly is arriving at the party. Anything after that up until now. . ." she was having a really hard time looking Ronon in the eye and keeping the tears threatening to fall in check. While focusing her attention on the sheet she and Ronon awkwardly shared, the fresh bandages across the top of his right hand caught her eye.

Something tugged at her memory, but she couldn't grasp it. "What happened to your hand?" She knew he had not received the injury before her lapse in memory.

Ronon looked down at his hand, seeming to notice it for the first time. "I don't know. I think I punched someone," he shrugged.

"Oh my. . .What time is it?" Jennifer asked. She had no idea where her watch was.

Fortunately, Ronon had his timepiece handy. "It's a quarter to 10 a.m."

"We're due back to Atlantis in an hour," Jennifer stated. "So uhm . . . I know it sounds kind of lame, considering," she gestured between them, "but I really need some privacy."

If Ronon was at all offended by her request, he didn't show it. "Right," was all he said, getting up from the bed.

Jennifer averted her eyes, her raising her hand over her brow as a discreet blinder as Ronon slid from under the covers. Being a medical doctor, she had seen the human body in all states of distress. Those were clinical situations, however, and she always found herself slightly embarrassed when confronted with the exposed the male form in everyday life, especially one as beautiful as that possessed by Ronon Dex. She heard some rustling and after a few moments stole a glance in his direction just in time to see his naked backside slide into his dark brown trousers.

She smiled in spite of herself.

* * *

TBC

A/N: Yay for my second fanfic. This story was brought to you by the wonderful prompts at chocfic, and it's greatly inspired by the wonderful lyrics of British singer/songwriter ADELE. The title is taken from her song "Daydreamer." It's good stuff.

Part 2 of this story will attempt to piece together what actually happened that night on Ferra. I'm thinking of switching to a Ronon-centric POV.

Thanks for reading, and if you leave a comment (please), I'd appreciate if you mentioned what you liked (or disliked, if it's that glaring) about this story so far.


	2. Chapter 2

TITLE: Making Up the Past [Part 2

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, angst, Ronon/Keller

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.

This story jumps back and forth in time much like _Tabula Rasa_.

You may want to read my previous fic "Save Room" before starting on this one. This story acts independently of the plot of that, but it does do a bit in establishing Ronon and Jennifer's relationship.

* * *

_Now._

Ronon was thankful when Jennifer had not protested when she realized he was taking her to his room rather than her own. At the moment he wasn't up for explaining the Satedan custom he was in the process of performing. _Hell_, he didn't even know that tonight of all nights it would come into play.

Regretfully, he had not seen much of Jennifer since their encounter on Ferra. Jennifer was visibly unnerved by the situation. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of going to bed with her and not being able to remember most of it. Over the course of several weeks, and after a bit of investigating, however, he was able to recall more than a few of the events of that night. He was positive that the encounter was consensual, which he hadn't been too terribly concerned about, considering the events of the days leading up to the feast. Jennifer had kissed him days before, a memory that even now caused him to smile. He had been pleasantly surprised by the shy sensuality displayed in her affections.

Ronon remembered with great clarity how he got the cut on his hand that was bandaged when he awoke that morning. It had long since healed, but a fresh flash of anger as he thought of how lightly the guy had gotten off. He had really wanted to kill him for what he had done—and tried to do—to Jennifer.

Jennifer, however, had failed remember on her own anything about that night.

She had told him that maybe it was a good thing, since they could just forget (ha!) about that morning and continue getting to know each other better. "Just take things slow," she had said.

Easier said than done, Ronon thought. Save for a hug here and a nuzzle there (he loved the smell of her hair), their relationship had remained remarkably chaste since that night. And he was fine with that. Except, every once and a while, he would remember something from their encounter, how soft and cool her skin was again his, and it unsettled him greatly.

* * *

_About seven weeks earlier._

Teyla Emmagan was now entering her sixth month of pregnancy. Today she was scheduled to visit Dr. Keller to confirm the continued health of her baby. Her appointment was not until the afternoon, however, and she had no immediate plans for the day, save for a meditation session with Ronon. It had been some time since the restless man had joined her, so she was surprised when he had suddenly requested to resume their sessions. It was possible he missed sparring with her, so meditation was the next best thing. Whatever the reason, Teyla was looking forward to the time with her friend.

The stirring baby in her belly made a point that the first thing on Teyla's agenda would be food. Rubbing her hand over her abdomen in a calming gesture, she made her way to the mess hall. The line was not terribly long, and after a few minutes, she emerged from the breakfast buffet with a bowl of oatmeal and an assortment of fruits, as well as a generous serving of bacon.

Teyla scanned the room for a suitable place to sit. She saw none of the members of her team with whom she usually dined. It was a lovely morning, so she decided that dining outside on the balcony would be quite refreshing. At first it seemed that no one else had taken advantage of the outdoor seating. Then a she heard what sounded like a sniffle from her left. Curiosity taking over, she rounded the corner of the balcony to see investigate.

"Dr. Keller?"

The young woman, jumped, slightly startled. "Oh, hey Teyla," she smiled.

Though she smiled as warmly as she could manage, Teyla could tell that Dr. Keller was upset about something. Though she may have felt differently at some point, Teyla had learned from experience that it was beneficial to have a listening ear available with which to share one's problems. That is, if the person desired to talk. She could at least offer Jennifer her company.

"Good morning, Doctor," Teyla greeted with her warmest smile. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked, indicating the chair across from the doctor.

"Yes, please. And you can call me Jennifer," she said, seeming to regain some composure.

"All right, _Jennifer_." Teyla smiled once more as she maneuvered into her seat. As Teyla began to make short work of her breakfast (she _was_ "eating for two," as John had called it), she noticed that Dr. Keller's food was practically untouched.

After swallowing the last bite of her fifth piece of bacon, Teyla finally inquired, "Jennifer, is everything all right?"

Jennifer turned her attention from where it had been focused staring out over the expanse of the ocean. She looked down at her some indiscernible spot on the table, and then her eyes lifted to meet Teyla's. It appeared she was trying to decide on something.

After a moment, Jennifer sighed, and finally finding her resolve she asked, "Teyla, do you feel it's important to be honest about _everything_ . . . even if you don't want to tell someone something that you know could only hurt your relationship."

Teyla thought for a moment. "Might this have something to do with you and Ronon?"

Jennifer blushed, apparently surprised at Teyla's forthrightness. "Why? Did he say something to you?"

"Not exactly." Teyla admitted, "I have known some time that Ronon possesses more than a casual interest in you. You two are very 'cute' together."

Jennifer seemed relieved to hear Teyla's observation.

Teyla chose not to reveal that she had also noticed the slight awkwardness in Ronon and Jennifer's interactions with one another ever since they had returned from Ferra. "What has been troubling you?" Teyla prodded.

"Well, you know that Ronon accompanied me to the wedding feast on Ferra, as a 'slight security measure', Col. Carter called it. I guess he turned out to be my date, kind of. And, things kind of got out of hand later on in the night. . ."

"Yes, I heard there was some sort of altercation between Ronon and one of the nobles." Teyla said.

"Yeah," Jennifer confirmed, wincing. "It turns out that was only _one_ of the 'highlights' of the night . . ."

* * *

_One week earlier._

After leaving Jennifer's quarters, Ronon hurried to seek out Teyla. It had been much easier to keep track of her when she was an active member of Sheppard's team. Now, with her continued search for her people, the Athosians, it wasn't guaranteed that she would even be _on_ the base.

He was relieved when she answered the door to her quarters. Despite the afternoon sunlight, the room was dimly lit with candles. Teyla had obviously been meditating. She was doing a lot of that lately, he mused. Well, that was better than killing herself on a stationary bike, by all means, in an effort 'to keep up with' him and the rest of the team.

"Hey, Teyla." Ronon greeted, not waiting for her to invite him into her quarters. Resting his arm around her shoulders, he ushered her inside. He figured he should get straight to the point. "You sew, right?"

Teyla was reluctant to answer. Her face and body language screamed, _Could you not see that I was meditating?_ However, she sighed and responded, "Yes . . . why?"

He put on his best pleading face. "I need a favor."

_Seven hours later._

Ronon was leaning against the door of Dr. Keller's office, waiting for her to finish up her paperwork so he could then escort her to the mess hall to grab some dinner before 'movie night.'

"Ok, done!" she announced, shutting her laptop. Ronon barely contained a laugh as she practically jumped up to her chair and walked over to join him at the threshold of her office. "Sorry you had to wait. I really thought I'd be done by six." she explained.

"It's fine," Ronon reassured her as he followed her out of the office. "I like watching you work."

Jennifer turned to give him a disbelieving look. Was it bad that he found almost all of her expressions to be irresistibly cute?

"Whatever you say, Mr. Dex," she resuming her trek to the mess hall.

Ronon wondered if he would ever be able to convince Jennifer just how beautiful she was. He admitted to her that he had, at first, felt her to be too weak to be on the Atlantis expedition. However, she soon proved herself to have an impressive amount of inner strength. She was able to keep a cool head in the most tense situations, in particular when saving the life of the former head of the expedition, Elizabeth Weir. Seeing her work under extreme odds and come out victorious had caused him admire her. He then began to watch her interaction with the others Atlanteans in an quest to learn more about this petite young woman from Earth. He particularly enjoyed seeing her go at it with McKay.

Where Dr. Carson Beckett had been a great deal more tolerant of Rodney's whiny hypochondria, Keller, on the other hand, was much more direct in dismissing the scientist, and telling him in so many words that he was overreacting to whatever symptom he _thought_ was indicative of imminent death. It was awesome to watch.

The mess hall was fairly crowded for the dinner rush, but they were able to find a quiet spot outside on the balcony. They ate in companionable silence, watching the sun set over the horizon. Then Ronon listened intently as Jennifer answered his question about what were some of her favorite movies besides _Serenity_. He found himself looking forward to watching them with her in the future.

* * *

_Twenty-four hours later._

Ronon stood outside of Dr. Keller's quarters. He couldn't recall the last time he had been this anxious.

When he was just about to chime the door once more when it whooshed open.

"Hey Ronon," Jennifer smiled up at him.

As he took in the sight before him, many thoughts crossed Ronon's mind. One was that Teyla had really outdone herself with hooking Jennifer up with an outfit for the party. The dress was simple, yet elegant. It was made of satiny fabric with wide diagonal stripes in a deep blue, pale green, and yellow and cut in the style of a long tunic. Though dress accentuated her slim curves, it was modest save for the deep V-neck front that revealed a generous amount of skin.

"Sorry," she was explaining. "I was in the middle of curling my hair."

At that he finally tore his attention away from the dress to her face. He did like the soft ringlets that she'd formed her hair into, as it framed her face and neck.

Ronon was barely able to find his voice. "You look. . . uh. . . really beautiful."

Jennifer beamed. "Thanks. You look really nice, too."

"Thanks," he replied. Ronon was wearing a cream-colored long-sleeved shirt that he'd acquired on a trading excursion a few months back. Teyla had mentioned that he should try expanding his wardrobe. He didn't really see the point at the time, but now, he was quite grateful that he had followed her advice. He had also picked up a pair of dark brown leather trousers, which he wore now, as well.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," Jennifer replied, lifting up the small overnight bag she had packed. They would be staying as guests on Ferra until the following afternoon.

"Cool," Ronon said, taking Jennifer's bag from her and gesturing for her to go ahead of him out of her quarters.

Ronon and Jennifer got more than a few appraising looks as they made their way to the Gateroom. When the arrived in the control tower, Col. Carter, Sheppard, and Teyla were there to see them off.

"Whoah, Doc," Sheppard said appreciatively. "I guess it was a good idea to send Ronon with you. Keep the Ferran males from stealing you away."

"Thank you, Colonel," she laughed.

"You're very welcome," he replied. He gave Ronon a knowing nod.

It had been Sheppard who had suggested to Carter that Ronon accompany her to the wedding feast. Though John had readily accepted the role as 'wingman' in Ronon's pursuit of Dr. Keller. Ronon had not expected his friend's recommendation of him to act as a 'security precaution' on Keller's behalf. Carter didn't need much convincing, it appeared. At the moment she was unable to divert any attention away from her responsibilities as commander of the Atlantis base, and the Ferran Prime Minister had been satisfied with only Dr. Keller being able to attend as a representative of the Atlanteans.

"Wow, Teyla, you _made_ this dress?" Colonel Carter was commenting.

"Yes. I was began making it before my pregnancy. So, I just tailored it a bit to fit Dr. Keller." Teyla looked at Ronon and smiled. When he had interrupted her meditation session and practically barged into her quarters, she was understandably a little peeved at him. But once he had explained to her what he needed, her demeanor instantly changed. Deep down he knew she would come through for him if she could.

"All right. Well, we won't keep you two any longer," Colonel Carter said. "We expect you back by eleven hundred hours tomorrow. Just radio in if you expect any delays." With that she walked away. Colonel Sheppard followed suit.

Jennifer gave Teyla a quick hug as the the final chevron of the 'Gate address was locked. And then the Athosian woman stepped away as well.

As they stood side by side, waiting for the wormhole to be established, Ronon felt slim fingers slide into his hand and interlock with his. Ronon was surprised to feel his neck grow warm at her touch. He had not felt this way in a _very_ long time. It was almost like feeling it for the first time. He smiled to himself, gently squeezing Jennifer's hand in return gesture of affection.

Wormhole now locked, they walked though the "Gate, the night that lay ahead full of possibilities.

* * *

_Three hours later._

Her hand around his wrist, Jennifer practically dragged Ronon to her guest quarters. "I can't _believe_ this is happening . . . "

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"No you're not!" Jennifer streaked. She stopped in front of her room. Ronon raised an eyebrow as she slid a hand into the front of her dress and then withdrew it to produce her door key.

She must have felt him staring. "Oh, I didn't have a purse. My bra was the next best thing," she explained. The door now open, she led him into the room.

The pointed to the edge of the bed. "Sit."

He grudgingly complied as Jennifer produced a small First-Aid kit from her overnight bag. "I never thought I would actually need this," she said, walking over to stand in front of him. "But I've learned that even the simplest mission can suddenly go awry." She pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "In this case, I don't feel at all gratified to be proved right."

She sighed. "Ok, now let me look at that cut."

Ronon sat in silence as she cleaned the blood away from his knuckles. By now he was used to the feeling of her patching him up, and he was aware that now, her hands were less steady than usual. It wasn't until she had trouble opening the bandages that he stopped her, placing his hand over hers. "You ok?"

Jennifer inhaled a ragged breath and met his eyes. "No." After a moment she turned her head away, still, Ronon caught sight of the tear fall before she hastily brushed it away.

"I should have killed him." Ronon fumed.

"Maybe," Jennifer allowed. "But you didn't. And the Prime Minister gave his assurance that Lord Gaston's actions would not go unpunished."

"Whatever_that_ means." Ronon doubted that whatever punishment the Prime Minister meted out would be equivalent to a 'slap on the wrist.'

"Well, he at the very least has a chipped tooth, thanks to you. I'm just glad the didn't arrest you for assaulting a noble or some nonsense."

Ronon chuckled at that. "It was worth the risk." He watched as Jennifer applied a the last strip of medical tape to secure his bandage.

A slight blush grew in her cheeks. She stepped closer to him. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

When she pulled back she said, "I guess this is where we say 'goodnight.'" But Jennifer didn't move back to allow him to get up. She was basically standing in between his legs, blocking him from rising from the bed.

"Uhm. . . goodnight," He said finally. This time he leaned into her. He had only meant to give her a parting kiss. But as he drew back and Jennifer leaned into him once more, he was incapable of pushing her away.

* * *

_One week later._

Teyla listened intently as Jennifer described the events of that evening.

"The next day, we came back to Atlantis. We told Colonel Carter about what had happened with Ronon's altercation. It was impossible to ignore that. However, we decided to keep our 'encounter' under wraps."

"You're the first person I've told. And I still don't remember most of it, particularly, the. . .you know. I'm almost certain Lord Gaston drugged me somehow, but nothing showed up on my toxicology screen."

Teyla did not quite know how to respond to that. She did have one question, though. "What is it that you are afraid of telling Ronon?"

Jennifer pursed her lips and then looked away. Teyla saw her jaw clench in apparent frustration.

"Jennifer, it is all right. . ." Teyla consoled, reaching out to pat the young woman's hand.

Jennifer finally met Teyla's eyes. "It's just that, well. . . Ronon was . . . my first."

"Your first. . ." Teyla turned the phrase over in her mind. Jennifer waited patiently for her to understand, and then after everything Jennifer had told her it dawned on her.

"Oh," was all Teyla could manage. This was more serious than she could have ever imagined.

"And, you can remember nothing of that night?"

Jennifer shook her head. "I mean, there's a very slim possibility that we didn't sleep together. But I think it very strange that Ronon and I just decided to remove all our clothes and sleep next to each other."

"That is . . . a valid point," Teyla agreed.

"The thing is I believe in waiting on marriage to have sex. I know it's old fashioned, but it's what I believe. It's actually helped me weed out a lot of guys who just wanted 'one thing.' And now that me and Ronon have already gone there . . ."

Jennifer's fingers toyed nervously with the tablecloth. "I just don't want him to expect certain things later down the road that I'm not prepared to give. I know he remembers some things from that night. But I can't remember anything, so I don't know if he thinks I led him on or. . ."

"Jennifer," Teyla said. "I think that you should tell Ronon how you feel. It might be better if you did not reveal to him that he was your 'first.' However, I think it would be beneficial to both of you if you discussed what each of you expects from your relationship."

At seeing Jennifer's apprehensive expression, she added, "Ronon cares for you very much. I believe he will understand."

With that, Teyla left the Doctor to her thoughts, while she took with her a better understanding of why Ronon had a sudden urge to meditate.

TBC

A/N:_Dang, Jennifer._ Yeah, now you guys see why this was such a doozy to write. Thank you so much to everyone who left comments. This was a very hard chapter for me. I'm constantly struggling with how much to reveal, but I think the bits I do reveal work in that the story is kind of about piecing together a puzzle of events. A little here, some more there. Will anyone ever know what _really happened_that night, and who will know what part of the story?

It's very fun to think about but a pain to decide. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Comments are much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

TITLE: Making Up the Past [Part 3

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, angst, Ronon/Keller

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.

* * *

_If I tell the world  
I'll never say enough  
'Cause it was not said to you  
And that's exactly what I need to do  
If I end up with you._  
—"_Chasing Pavements" by Adele_

_Now._

As Jennifer awoke that morning, she didn't recall her bed on Atlantis ever feeling as soft, or as warm. As she buried her face in her pillow, relishing this new found comfort, an all too familiar aroma started her senses to full awareness.

In a slight state of denial, she hesitated to open her eyes as her hands groped around the solid curve of what she now realized was not a "pillow" in the conventional sense of the word. Just to be absolutely certain, she ran her under the hem of what would have been the pillow sham, only to have her fingers brush against what she immediately recognized as human skin. Very smooth human skin.

Then her pillow jerked from underneath her, and she heard something bang into the wall.

Abruptly, her head hit the mattress. She raised her head, now fully awake and slightly peeved to have lost the comfort of her "pillow."

Jennifer looked up through a fringe of disheveled blond hair to see Ronon glaring down at her as he rubbed a hand across his temple.

"Ow." That was all he said at first. "That tickled."

"And it _hurt_?" Jennifer asked, barely able to contain the giggle that threatened to burst forth.

"No," he huffed, sweeping his thick dreads away from his face. "I hit my head."

He glared down at Jennifer once more, but after a moment his features softened, and he seemed to be studying her. She tried not squirm under the intensity of his gaze.

"Sleep well?" he asked, reaching a hand out to brush her hair back away from her eyes.

It took Jennifer a moment to recover from the electricity that accompanied his touch. "Uhm. . . yeah actually. I mean, _really good_," she admitted, finally sitting up.

He smiled warmly at her response. "You?"

He shrugged. "The same. The company was nice."

There was no flirtatiousness in his tone. Still Jennifer felt her cheeks grow warm at Ronon's unabashed interest in her. She glad, though, that this instance of waking up to Ronon lacked the extreme awkwardness of that fateful morning on Ferra. They were both clothed, wearing what they had on the night before. So, it _was_ possible for them to just _sleep_ together, she mused.

However, things were not that simple between them. _Sex changes everything_, as the saying goes. Jennifer had heard the saying a million times, and she didn't dispute its claim. Unfortunately, she never figured it would apply so appropriately to an encounter of which one had no memory save for the 'morning after.' In the several weeks since the events on Ferra, many things had come to light. Every time she thought of Lord Gaston's actions, Jennifer had to fight hard to suppress deep feelings of rage and betrayal. Things could have ended a lot worse, she new, had Ronon not stepped.

Jennifer was grateful that he had been there, in any case. She did remember them having a nice time at the wedding feast. She and Ronon had even shared a dance. She recalled being fairly impressed with his skills on the dance floor. He was a capable lead, which was good in her case, since dancing was on the ever-growing list of things she wasn't good at, right along with athleticism and cooking.

She was relieved at how understanding Ronon had been when she expressed the desire to "take things slow." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that he had been her _first_, or that she didn't plan on having sex again—unless they were married. God, that sounded so lame, now, considering what had already occurred between them, she thought. But, it would not make much difference anyway, she reasoned. She had tried to prepare herself emotionally for the inevitable. He_would_ get bored with her and eventually move on.

In the weeks following, however, he had continued to stop by the infirmary, _sans_ injury, to take her to lunch or dinner, depending on what time of day either of them happened to be free. He had asked her to accompany him to many more 'movie nights.' The had watched _Serenity_ together twice more. Like almost every other woman with a pulse, she couldn't help but appreciate Ronon's physical attractiveness. Although he was the epitome of the phrase 'ruggedly handsome,' there was so much more to him. He really enjoyed the company of his teammates—John, Teyla, and even Rodney—who had become a sort of surrogate family to him. His boyish sense of fascination with 'things-go-boom' had eventually grown on her, particularly after he had persuaded her to blow that oxygen tank when the base was under quarantine lockdown.

Jennifer had thought of these things repeatedly over the past few weeks. And then a few days ago, she had discovered something that would prove a serious complication to her relationship with Ronon. In her short time practicing medicine, she had never shied away from stating the hard facts. She had told Colonel Sheppard the truth when Dr. Weir had suffered seemingly irreparable brain damage, that the Elizabeth he knew and cared about may never return.

So how was this situation any different?

"Ronon. . .I need to tell you something." She forced her eyes to meet his, and was minutely heartened by his expectant expression. "I'm pregnant." _There_. It was as much an admission to him as it was to herself.

"I know."

"_What?_ How could you. . ." Jennifer stammered. How could he possibly know, when she had only just realized. . .

"I didn't notice at first, but then I started to see the changes in your body. . ." he explained, glancing down at her abdomen. "And I remember how Teyla was at first."

_Geez, Jen_, she chided herself. _Was it __that__ obvious?! _She had only just figured it out, and she was a doctor, for goodness sake. She chose not to think of what that said of her own powers of observation. Recently, however, she had allowed work to consume her, and in a state of denial had chosen to ignore glaring symptoms of her condition.

As if reading her mind, Ronon added, "I don't think anyone else knows yet." She knew he meant it as a comfort, but Jennifer didn't feel any better about it. She was pregnant, and with her small frame, she was not going to be able to hide it much longer. People would start to ask questions, and passing out in the infirmary definitely didn't help to quell any rumors that may have already started.

"Hey," Ronon's voice snapped her back to the present. He waited for her to look at him before he continued. "It's ok."

It only took a moment for Jennifer to process everything he was implying. He was here with her now. She would very much rather have him here than not. "Is that why you brought me to your quarters last night? To take care of me?"

"Yeah," Ronon confirmed. He readjusted his back against the headboard, his body language suddenly anxious. "On Sateda, when a couple is expecting a child, they always share a bed until the child is born. It helps the baby do better."

_Not the most scientifically sound explanation, but ok_, she thought.

His tone grew more serious, "You need to start taking it easy."

Jennifer knew he was right. "Yes, I _know_. I'm just trying hard not to freak out right now."

"Why?"

Jennifer figured this was an ideal a situation as she was going to get to finally tell him. "You know I said before I wanted to take things slow and just get to know each other better. . ."

He nodded.

"Well, I said that because that night on Ferra was. . .I mean, you were my. . .my first."

"What. . .you mean you've never. . ."

"No. I was kinda. . .waiting until marriage."

"So that night on Ferra was the first time you. . ."

"Mhmm." Jennifer nodded, avoided his disbelieving gaze. She hadn't expected to feel so embarrassed about it. She toyed nervously with the hem of the sheet, concentrating on not blinking as tears stung her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ronon sounded more hurt than angry, and Jennifer winced at that.

"I don't know," Jennifer said impulsively. She did have a few ideas though. "I wanted to, but, I guess I was scared. And I figured you'd lose interest in me after a while, anyway. But then you didn't, and then as more time passed it became harder for me to tell you." Jennifer sniffed, finally squeezing her eyes shut at the thought. She felt the tears roll down her cheeks, then Ronon's hand on her face brushing them away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, as he gently turned her to face him. "I didn't want to hurt you. . .and now everything is so messed up," she sobbed. "I mean, we're barely even dating and now there's a whole baby to worry about. . ."

"Jennifer, calm down," Ronon told her. He squeezed her shoulders gently for emphasis.

He was right. She needed to get a handle on things. Freaking out wasn't going to help the situation, but she was glad Ronon had been so patient with her up unto this point. She inhaled deeply and nodded, wiping a hand over her face.

"Look at me, Jen."

She met his gaze.

"_We_ are gonna figure this out. Ok?" Slowly, she nodded. "I'm not going to leave you to go through this alone. I'm here. With you." Searching her eyes, he asked, "Will you trust me to do that?"

She nodded once more, and then found her voice. "Yes."

With that Ronon's arms enveloped her. Jennifer buried her face in his chest, relishing the comfort and warmth radiating from him. She felt Ronon's lips brush her temple, and then he rested his cheek against her hair. She didn't know exactly how long they stayed like that, as she began to drift to sleep as his hand rubbed soothing circles across her back.

Then a loud beeping sound startled them both. She felt Ronon reach to shut it off.

Jennifer rolled off of him, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. "You have to go," she stated.

"Yeah," he said, stretching. "I've got a training session with some Marines in thirty minutes." He looked over at her. "What are you gonna do today?"

"Well, first I need to get a shower." She suddenly felt very gross in her clothes from the day before. "Then. . ." she thought a moment. "I need to stop by the infirmary."

Ronon gave her a questioning look. "I know I'm off today. But I need to run some tests make sure everything is good with, you know."

Ronon appeared to just realized something. "Yeah, why didn't that show up on the tests from last night?"

"I don't know. I guess Dr. Pedersen was specifically looking for pathogens. Or he may have just missed it. Pregnancy may not show up depending on what kind of tests you do." Jennifer had one more theory, but she chose to keep it to herself until she was able to find out more. She had done enough of jumping to conclusions.

"You need to eat something, right?" Jennifer was amazed at how attentive Ronon was being.

"Yeah. I do," she agreed, suddenly ravenous at the mention of food. "I promise to get something from the mess after I get showered. Ok?" She also needed to get her hands on some prenatal vitamins.

"Ok." Ronon leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose before hopping off the bed, heading for his bathroom.

Jennifer followed suite and headed for the door. Then she remembered something and turned around. "Hey Ronon," she called just as he walked into the bathroom.

"Yeah?" He leaned his head out of the door.

"Try to be careful. I'm not gonna be on duty to stitch you up, remember."

Ronon narrowed his eyes at her and then flashed her a brilliant smile before disappearing into the bathroom. She noticed he didn't say he didn't respond one way or the other. She supposed she didn't actually have to be on duty to sew him up in the event he did injure himself. She could do it anywhere.

As she walked to her room, she let the events of the past few hours sink in. Ronon had handled everything exceedingly well, and she was glad of it. Still, they had a long road ahead of them. _People were going to find out. She was going to have to tell them. _There was no getting around that fact. But she still needed to figure some things out. Jennifer could not even begin to imagine how this was going to affect her position on Atlantis. As her heart began to race at the implications, Ronon's soothing words entered her mind._"Jennifer, calm down."_

She began taking deep breaths, her heart rate almost back to normal as she neared her quarters. Though Ronon's room and bed were quite accommodating, she was glad to be back in the familiarity of her own room. However, she wasn't terribly averse to the idea of 'sharing a bed' with him for the next several months. She entered her room, and the door was barely closed before she began peeling off her clothes in preparation for a much-needed shower.

While still in her underwear, she took a moment to study her body in the full-length mirror. Her recent weight gain was barely noticeable, and her abs were still relatively flat. _Not for long_, she thought, as she ran a hand over her smooth abdomen.

As she turned to head toward the bathroom, a thought had until now been pushed to the back of her mind rushed to the surface and struck her as good as a slap across the face.

"My dad is gonna _freak_."

TBC

* * *

A/N: Ok guys. This chapter was very hard for me to write in a way unique from the previous chapters. I know this is some serious subject matter, and I wanted to handle it appropriately. Finding Jennifer and Ronon's respective motivations and making them believable was really difficult. It took me a while to figure out how to have Jennifer reveal her pregnancy to Ronon, who would say what. . .what his reaction would be. I also don't want you to think that I tried to solve all their problems with one conversation. This was just the first of many important conversations they need to have.

I hope I didn't disappoint too many people with the direction the story is taking. I know some of you are still dying to know what actually happened on Ferra. It's easy for me, because I already know (duh), but this story is about dealing with the "after" and the consequences of peoples actions. So, for this chapter in particular, I felt it wasn't important to delve into the specifics of that night. Only one person addressed an apparent plot hole in the story as to why Ronon's memory was affected as well. . . And I did already have a explanation for that, but since no one else seemed to notice. . . j/k. I guess I probably will have to tell what happened on Ferra in greater detail.

You'll be happy to know that, though I thought this would be the final chapter, the story isn't done. There's at least one more chapter, very possibly two (or maybe an epilogue), left in this tale. I still need to explore how other members of the expedition deal when they find out about Jennifer and Ronon's "situation." Oh, yes, as well, as how Ronon is taking all of this. Since I this chapter was Jen's POV, I couldn't tell what he was thinking, only his response to her.

Thanks for reading, and your comments are always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

TITLE: Making Up the Past [Part 4

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, angst, drama (Ronon/Keller)

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.

* * *

_Now._

Jennifer was able to enter the infirmary and slip into her office unnoticed. Due to the hour of the morning, there was hardly any staff wandering around the ward, and she was glad of it. She really wasn't up for idle chat this morning. Word had almost definitely spread about her little mishap yesterday evening, and the medical staff would have already been notified that she would be taking the day off. She couldn't believe she had been reduced to sneaking into her own office to access her medical records.

She decided it would just be easier to download the information she needed to her laptop, and take it back to her room. The less time she spent in the infirmary, the better.

"Dr. Keller?"

Jennifer jumped nearly ten feet at the sound of a male voice behind her. Her computer slipped from her hands, but she was able to catch it just before it hit the desk. _Real smooth_, Jennifer, she thought._Not suspicious behavior at all. _Her hand smoothed protectively over her abdomen as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Dr. Pedersen . . . hey," she smiled, weakly. "You scared me." She tried to suppress a blush of embarrassment at her extreme reaction.

"I see," he laughed, a little startled himself. "Sorry about that," he said, stepping into her office. The look of concern in his youthful features didn't go unnoticed. "You know you're supposed to be off duty. . . "

"I know. I mean, I _am_." _Don't act guilty_, Jennifer told herself. "I was just," she gestured to her computer, "checking that I finished up everything, since, you know, I kind of stopped in the middle of things yesterday."

"Of course," Dr. Pedersen nodded. "You know, you can call me Marc."

Jennifer was unsure of what to make of his offer of familiarity. She knew his first name. They had even sat together at lunch a few times. But she could see there was something in Dr. Pedersen's body language that was uncertain, yet guarded. Or it could just be in response to her own behavior. Still, there was no apparent threat in his tone. He seemed to just be trying to be friendly.

"Ok,_Marc_."

"Well, if you're going to say it like _that_ every time, then 'Dr. Pedersen' is just fine," he laughed. He had slowly been closing the distance from the door of her office to her desk, and he now stood a few feet in front of her. "You need to take it easy though. You're a very talented doctor, but all your hard work is for naught if you're working yourself to death."

"Ok, I get your point. I'm leaving," Jennifer agreed. "To bed I go." She picked up her laptop and made for the office door.

She didn't expect Marc's hand to grasp her forearm as she tried to move past him. He moved his body just enough she would either have to run into him or go around him to get by. He definitely had her attention. But seeing as they didn't know each other that well, Jennifer perceived his actions as a violation of her personal space, and their professional relationship. But there was something else. Jennifer had a sudden rush of _deja-vu_. She had been in this situation before. She felt frightened for a moment, but she didn't know why. And then the feeling was gone.

Fortunately, Marc sensed her elevated tension and immediately released her arm, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Look," he began, his voice low. He glanced behind him as if to make sure no one else overheard their conversation. "I meant no disrespect. I just wanted to talk to you about your _condition_."

"What do you mean?" Jennifer didn't mean to deny anything, but the words were out before she could think of anything else to say.

"Last night after I released you. . . I did some additional tests. I wanted to be sure I hadn't missed anything in your diagnoses, just to be safe. I noticed that your hCG levels were abnormally high." He paused, meeting her eye.

_Human chorionic gonadotropin,_the pregnancy hormoneJennifer mentally supplied. Also known as hCG. She said nothing though, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, it's not abnormally high for someone carrying a child." His gaze lowered, and she allowed herself to glance down at her abdomen as well. '_Carrying a child.'_ She wondered why he chose those words, rather than _pregnant_. It sounded so much more personal. Like he was embracing the life that now grew inside her as she had only just accepted its existence.

He had been carefully trying to gauge her reaction to the information. "This isn't news to you, is it?" He wasn't absolutely sure, it seemed.

"No," Jennifer confessed. There was no reason to deny anything at this point. Now, at least one other person knew about her condition. How long would that last, though?

"I haven't said anything to anyone else about it," Marc said before she could ask. "Not even Carter."

Still, Jennifer wasn't quite relieved. "Look, Marc. I don't know what it is you want—"

" What I. . .? Wait, wait," He held his hands up, shaking his head. "I'm not trying to blackmail you."

"You're not?" _Okay._ Jennifer felt her face grow warm as she realized she may be reading this situation completely wrong.

"No. I'm not."

Jennifer studied him, trying to find something that would tell her whether or not he could be trusted. Sure, he had proved to be a competent physician—he would not be on the Atlantis expedition if he wasn't. However, those abilities did not go very far in being an accurate gauge of a person's character. It was in situations such as this where Jennifer had learned to rely on her gut instinct. But she had been wrong before. Some people were just too good at hiding who they really were.

In response to Jennifer's reticence, Marc spoke once more. "I'm going to assume you plan on keeping the baby, since there would be no reason for you to be concerned about my knowledge of your condition otherwise."

Slowly, Jennifer nodded.

"As a doctor, I just wanted you to know all the facts about your condition. What you decided to do about it is, of course, your business, but. . ." he hesitated.

"But what?" Jennifer urged.

"But, uhm. . .it seems I missed my chance to ask you out for a drink. At least for a while, anyway." He shrugged, his eyes shifting to a spot on the floor as he ran a hand through his dark, shaggy hair.

It was strange how his demeanor transformed from professional to boyish in a manner of seconds. Jennifer was unsuccessful in containing a sigh of relief that sounded suspiciously like a giggle of delight. "Wait, you mean you. . ." She found she couldn't form the words.

"Yeah. But, 'you snooze, you lose,' as the saying goes," he sighed. "And I'm not really good at this, obviously. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it," Jennifer consoled. "I'll admit, this is so not how I saw this conversation going."

"Yeah, well. . . Sorry," was all he could manage in reply.

As the silence stretched between them, Jennifer felt like she was a teenager again. The conversation that had just transpired felt like the aftermath of a good guy friend asking her out, and she having to let him down easy. She was surprised she didn't say, "Can we still be just friends" at the end of it all.

"Listen," Marc interjected. "If you want any additional tests run, discreetly—I'll see what I can do to help."

Jennifer regretted she had not gotten to know Marc better sooner. Maybe it was the hCG reeking havoc with her emotions, or maybe she was simply touched that there were still people who existed who could display an ounce of genuine altruism. Either way, she had the uncontrollable urge to hug him, so she went with it.

He was caught of guard at first, warily returning the embrace.

"Thank you, Marc," Jennifer whispered in his ear before pulling away. She didn't have any problem using his first name now.

Ronon had managed to make it through an entire training session without so much as a scratch. Though he had grown very fond of the look of exasperation he could elicit from Jennifer whenever he strolled into the infirmary with an open wound, he thought it best not to cause her any additional stress. And it had been very hard. The effort he had put into avoiding injury had left him feeling strangely unsatisfied at the end of it all.

It wasn't that he liked getting hurt. He had just grown so used to having some visceral proof that he had battled and come out victorious.

As the last of the trainees exited the gym, quiet settled over the gym. Ronon was surprised to find himself actually feeling tired. As realized that it took more energy to be careful than not, he may have to rethink how much 'stress' Jennifer could be allowed to take in her condition.

He took a swig of from his water bottle, downing half its contents in just a few gulps.

_Jennifer._Shock barely begun to describe what he felt about her confession that morning. So, he had been her first. . . he still didn't know how to feel about that. He wasn't really angry about her hesitance to tell him, but it definitely changed how his approach to things. The attraction was definitely mutual, but neither of them had expected the intimacy of the relationship to reach the point that it had so soon. They were going to have a baby, and he had to be strong for the both of them. He hated to see her cry. He didn't understand her uncertainties about his interest in her. He wasn't quite offended, but . . . he didn't have words for the feeling.

When he had first suspected she was pregnant, he waited for the proper time to approach her about it. After talking to her, he supposed that they both figured it out around the same time. It didn't seem that she wanted to hide it from him. She _had_ told him, after all. But, the Atlanteans definitely had different ways of handling relationships, so he wasn't quite sure what level of commitment she expected from him, if at all. Ronon wanted there for her, but he knew that was only half of it. He figured he should probably talk to her about it some more.

He cared about her so much. Like he hadn't cared for anyone in a long time. But he realized that wouldn't be enough either. It scared him, really. He needed Jennifer to believe—to trust—that he would be there. Even now, he wanted to be near her, wished that he wasn't away from her. She was cool and soothing and warm all at once. He hadn't yet found a way to express to her how she calmed him.

He took another drink, finishing off the water.

He recognized the carefree steps before the messy-haired man entered the gym. He didn't look up until the man spoke.

"Hey, big guy."

"Hey." Ronon nodded.

"We still on for a run?"

"You bet." Ronon chucked the empty water bottle into his bag and followed John as he turned to head out of the gym. He couldn't decide whether or not to tell him about his current situation with Jennifer. Though John was a good friend, he couldn't tell for sure what his reaction would be. The way he had reacted when Teyla had told him of her pregnancy still angered him slightly. He knew John had a right to be concerned about her safety but—he had been a jerk about it.

As they jogged side by side, Ronon decided to wait until the end of the run to say anything to Sheppard, if at all.

In the end, Ronon chose not to confide in John. At least not yet, anyway.

He had continued running around the city for half an hour after John had called it quits. He had not run this hard in a while, and coupled with the training session he had done earlier, his body was covered in sweat. Ronon had decided to take the less-traveled course around the city. It was quite and he liked the change. He noticed a door leading out onto a balcony and went through, relishing the sensation of cool air against the moisture on his skin.

The much-welcomed calm was short-lived as he caught slight movement out the corner of his eye.

It took a moment for him to recognized Major Lorne. He was wearing his 'Earth clothes,' rather than the military uniform he was used to seeing the man in. In front of his was a wooden frame that supported a big canvas. On his arm rested a large round palette covered in a rainbow of paints.

Lorne did not seem disturbed by Ronon's intrusion. "Hey," Ronon he said after a moment, finally turning his focus away from the canvas. "Didn't expect anyone to find me out here."

Ronon shrugged, stepping further out onto the balcony to get a closer look at Lorne's work so far. He could just make out the geometric shapes of the city's spires emerging from the canvas. "So you're an artist." It was more of an observation the an question.

"Yeah. . ." Lorne acknowledged. "I got away from it for a while. Life being what it is here in Pegasus, don't have much time for it. But when things are pretty calm, like they are now," he gestured with the brush in his hand. "I try to take advantage, ya know."

"Yeah." Ronon did, actually. After a moment he said, "I used to draw and stuff. . . back on Sateda." It felt weird hearing himself say it out loud after all these years. He could not figure out why he had said it at all. But there was something about Lorne that was always open and accepting. Ronon did not feel like he was risking anything by volunteering such information.

And Lorne was intrigued. "Oh yeah?" he paused in the middle of a brush stroke. Ronon saw Lorne's eyes dart to him briefly before he focused his attention once more on the work before him. He recognized in the way the man nodded his head that he was re-evaluating whatever perception he had previously held of the Satedan.

"Ever thought about getting back into it?"

"Maybe." Ronon hadn't really. However, as he watched Lorne as he brought the shapes of the ancestral city out of the blankness of the canvas, he was reminded of a something he had not realized he'd forgotten. He had _really_ liked drawing. Until now there had not been anything that had inspired him to take it back up.

It was possible he was pressing Lorne's patience with him so far, but he ventured nonetheless. "You know where I could get some, uh, drawing materials around here?"

Lorne looked over at him, a knowing smirk across his lips.

* * *

After her unexpected meeting with Dr. Pedersen that morning, Jennifer felt drained. She decided to head back to her quarters for a nap, and then see if Ronon was available to accompany her to lunch. 

_So Marc had crush on me all this time a never said anything_, she thought, as she kicked off her shoes and slid into bed. _Figures_. She pulled the covers over herself and snuggled into her pillow.

It seems like she had only just fallen asleep when the door chime rang. She groaned into her pillow before throwing the covers back. Still a bit disoriented, she tripped over her shoes as she made her way to the door, and only managed to catch herself by grabbing the door frame. The door opened and she found Ronon looking down at her.

"Hey," she wheezed, out of breath.

"Hey. You ok?"

"Yeah, I just almost killed myself getting the door," she blushed, standing up to face him.

He must have noticed her disheveled hair. "You were sleeping. Sorry. . ."

"No, it's ok," she yawned, gesturing for him to come in. Without a second thought about it she turned, intent on getting back to her nap. She felt Ronon following behind her, but he stopped short as she crawled under the covers once more.

"I wanted to know if you got lunch already."

She looked up at him sleepily and shook her head. "No. I was going after I got a nap."

He nodded, but continued to stand at the side of her bed. Jennifer looked at him questioningly, before she realized something. She could count on one hand the number of times she had seen Ronon look either anxious or unsure. Incidentally, most of those times had occurred within the last two months.

Before she could change her mind, she reached and grabbed his hand. He let her pull him down beside her. He pulled his hand free, taking a moment to remove his shoes before finally settling down next to her. Her stomach fluttered at his lack of presumptuousness as to her allowance of him to join her in bed. Sure there had been a time when he had no problem plopping down next to her in open flirtation, but things were different now, and she was touched that he gave her that consideration.

"So does the Satedan 'bed-sharing' tradition go for naps, as well, or are you just being greed—"

Jennifer was cut off as Ronon's mouth covered hers in a kiss that was earnest yet tender. Before she had a chance to gather her wits and possibly reciprocate, he had pulled away.

"Naptime," he stated. In his eyes and the way a slight smile tickled the corner of is mouth, she understood that he meant to continue whatever conversation she had in mind at a later time. She did have some things that had been nagging at the back of her psyche all day, but they would definitely take time and energy to verbalize. And Jennifer was quite tired.

After rolling her eyes in defeat, Jennifer snuggled closer to rest her head on Ronon's chest, as she felt his arm settle around her shoulders. Her bed was considerably smaller than his, so it took a few moments of maneuvering before both of them were comfortable.

"You good?" Ronon whispered. Jennifer felt his head move to look at her.

"Yeah," she confirmed, nuzzling closer. _God, he smelled good_. "You smell nice," she mumbled against his shirt. _He must have just showered_, she reasoned.

She felt his nose tickle the hair on top of her head. "You, too," she barely heard him say before she was enveloped by the warm blanket of sleep.

_A jawdropper  
He looks good when he walks  
He's the subject of their talks  
He would be hard to chase  
But good to catch  
And he could change the world  
With his hands behind his back, oh_  
—"Daydreamer" by ADELE

TBC

* * *

A/N: First off, this chapter so did not go how I planned. I don't hate it by any means (it's not my favorite, either, though), but I thought I'd get more of the "team" interaction: Rodney, Sheppard, Teyla. But the minor characters decided the wanted to come out and play, so I let them. I really do heart Lorne. I made Dr. Pedersen up, though. I named him after a friend of mine, but I had no idea he was gonna turn out to be such a sweetie. He sure showed me. 

I also made the. . . whadaya call it. . .creative decision (?) to not divulge Jen's pregnancy to everyone just yet. It really is pretty early, so they're no need to cause unnecessary ruckus until she gets further along. I have a feeling Sheppard may be the last to know, though, after Rodney even. We'll see how it plays out.

So, sorry to yous guys who were eagerly awaiting everyone's reactions. Sorry to myself cuz I so thought this would be the last chapter of this story arch—not the case. So, on to chapter 5. I'm not gonna say it'll be the last, because I have no idea. It's like, I can see the end of the story in the distance, but all the obstacles keep popping up in between, and then I have to address them, and then I have to write some Jen/Ronon cuteness in between. . . yeah. And this chapter was also supposed to be more Ronon POV, and that kinda didn't happen. I had a hard time getting into his head, and some things just work out better by observing his actions rather than analyzing his thoughts. The story got told, so that's most important I suppose.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who reviewed all the previous chapters. Your comments were so awesome and encouraging.


	5. Chapter 5

TITLE: Making Up the Past (Part 5)

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, angst, drama (Ronon/Keller)

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline. This story turned into a monster, and it's actually meant to be a combination of two of the prompts.

* * *

_A daydreamer  
With eyes that make you melt  
He lends his coat for shelter  
Plus he's there for you when he shouldn't be  
But he stays all the same  
Waits for you  
Then sees you through_  
—"Daydreamer" by ADELE

_Now._

Jennifer was awakened by the distinctive beeping of Ronon's alarm. Though she felt rested from the nap, she really didn't want to get up. She had quickly grown fond of having Ronon as a pillow and wanted to savor every moment she got.

Ronon silenced the alarm, but had yet to move to get up. He seemed rather comfortable as well.

She felt his mouth against the top of her head. "Time to get some food," he murmured. As if on cue his stomach rumbled in agreement. Jennifer laughed heartily, lifting her head from where it had been resting on his chest to look up at his handsome face.

"Can your stomach wait five more minutes," Jennifer groaned, rolling away from Ronon to stretch.

Jennifer didn't miss the mischievous gleam that appeared in Ronon's eyes at her request.

"What? You got something better than food in mind?"

Jennifer felt her throat grow dry as her cheeks warmed under the implication. "Uhm. . . no, not exactly." She hated that he could make her blush so easily.

Ronon smirked at her in return, leaning down closer. For a split second Jen wondered if her breath was acceptable, but then his lips were on hers. He brought his hand around her waist, gently urging her body closer, and she acquiesced.

Jennifer only meant to pull away briefly just to catch her breath, but as Ronon attempted to continue the kiss, she felt her stomach lurch. "Oh my God," Jennifer choked.

"What is it?" She saw Ronon's brow furrow in confusion.

Her stomach revolted once more, and it was all Jennifer could do to swallow back the bile as she shoved Ronon away, scrambled over him and off of the bed. This was the first time she was thankful for her quarters being so small, because it took merely a few stumbling steps before she was in the bathroom, finally able to allow the contents of her stomach to eject into the toilet. The fact that she had not actually thrown up on Ronon—something that she never have been able to live down no matter much he would have tried to reassure her—was a small comfort over the embarrassment she felt at him having to hear her wretch over the commode. _Had she really eaten that much for breakfast?_

Thankfully, the vomiting spell was over quickly. Jennifer leaned back away from the toilet and against the wall, her eyes closed.

"You ok?" She pushed her hair back away from her eyes and looked up to see Ronon standing warily in the doorway.

"I'm fine." Jennifer smiled weakly. "Nausea is a common symptom of pregnancy. I'm just kinda surprised it hadn't occurred until now. Great timing, right?"

"Yeah." Ronon allowed a small smile. "Didn't know you could move that fast." He sounded genuinely impressed by her flight skills. He chuckled, coming to kneel down in front of her.

"Oh thanks," Jennifer laughed, nudging his shoulder. "I'm sure you appreciate me not vomiting all over you."

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Ronon brought up a hand to gently stroke her hair. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yes. I'm _fine_," she reassured him.

Ronon nodded.

"I don't have much of an appetite now, though," she confessed.

"Me either." Ronon agreed.

Jennifer rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Well, I still need to eat something. I'll just have to eat smaller meals from now on. So, we can still go get lunch." She indicated for Ronon to get up, and he pulled her up as well. "Give me a minute to freshen up, and then we can head to the mess.".

"Sounds good," he said. Jennifer was heartened when Ronon leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead before exiting the bathroom.

Jennifer waved her hand over the door crystals, closing the door behind him. As she finally dared to take in her appearance in the mirror, she sighed. She could not wait to rinse the taste of vomit from her mouth and run a brush though the mess of her hair. As she swished the mint-flavored Listerine around her mouth, she let her mind rove over the events of the morning. Now it was barely past noon.

She spit the mouthwash into the sink and then paused to stare at her reflection once more. "I guess it's going to be one of those days," she sighed.

* * *

The mess hall was buzzing with the usual crowd for noontime. While Ronon finished loading his tray up with a sampling of practically everything on the menu, Jennifer scanned the cafeteria floor for suitable seating. After her previous bout with nausea she opted for a table out on the balcony, where she would have access to the fresh, salty air. It would also give them a chance to talk of private matters without fear of anyone overhearing. 

As Jennifer made her way to a table, she noticed that Dr. Pedersen was seated on the balcony as well. She caught his eye, and he smiled and waved. He gestured for her to come join him, but he suddenly stopped short. Jennifer didn't have to look behind her as she felt Ronon's warmth behind her.

"Where ya wanna sit?"

"Uhm, here's fine," she said, putting her tray down at the nearest empty table. She made a point to sit with her back facing away from Marc, as she felt very self-conscious at the moment. She wanted to tell Ronon that she had made an appointment to have an ultra-sound done, she just couldn't figure out how to bring it up. Would he want to go with her? She wanted to be keep her pregnancy a secret as long as possible. However, Ronon showing up to accompany her to have tests done was sure to raise questions. Why was everything so complicated all of a sudden?

"What's wrong?"

Jen was abruptly brought out of her musing by Ronon's expression of concern. She jerked her head up to meet his questioning gaze. She didn't want to say 'nothing,' but she didn't know what else to say. "Nothing."

"You sure?" He wasn't at all convinced.

Jennifer sighed,biting her lip in indecision. She had promised Ronon that she would trust him; that meant being honest with him no matter what. "Well. . . .as you know, today I went by my office to access my test results."

Ronon took a bite of his turkey sandwich and nodded.

"Well, Dr. Pedersen approached me to talk more about my test results. . . "

Ronon brow furrowed, but he waited for her to continue.

"So. . . he knows about my _condition_." She said the last word in nearly a whisper.

Ronon nodded again. "Uh-huh." By his tone, Jennifer could tell that he knew that this was not all there was to the story.

Jennifer decided to stick to the pertinent details. Somehow she figured the he-has-a-crush-on-me-but-offered-to-help-out story was not the best place to start. "He hasn't informed anyone else about it, and he said he'd help out if I wanted to have some more test done, discreetly, of course. So I made an appointment to have an ultrasound later this evening. I didn't know if you wanted to go or not. . . I mean, if you wanted to, that's ok, I guess, but if not. . ."

Jennifer felt her cheeks growing warm and her pulse beginning to race. She had long since stopped looking Ronon in the eye, and instead, preferred to concentrate on nervously picking her nails. A large tanned hand covered hers, and she looked up once more into kind, hazel-brown eyes.

"Do you want me to go with you?" He was leaving the decision up to her.

"Yes, but. . ."

"I don't have a problem getting in the infirmary without you seeing me," he smiled. "I think I can work something out."

Jennifer felt her nervousness slowly calm at his teasing. Yes, he had managed to scare the bejesus out of her on many an occasion when she had been absorbed in a task in the infirmary only to look up to find him looming over her, usually bleeding.

She relished feel of his hand around hers, his thumb caressing the back of her fingers as he waited for her reply. "Yeah. I suppose you can," she agreed.

"Plus, I think Dr. Pedersen likes you," Ronon mumbled, looking over her left shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to know he was staring at her smitten colleague. _How did he know these things?_ Jennifer did not even try to deny it as the blush she felt in her cheeks had already given her away. "You think so?"

Ronon finally turned his gaze back to Jennifer. "Yeah. I see how he looks at you."

"And how's that?" Jennifer was genuinely curious.

Ronon considered his response for a moment. "Like he wants you."

_What?_ Jennifer was slightly startled by his directness.

"I mean, he looks like he's trying to decide something. Whether or not to talk to you, or what to say." Jennifer could tell Ronon was not used to explaining such things, but she found it very interesting to hear him tell it. "That's one of the reasons I finally decided to make a move."

Jennifer lifted a brow in intrigue at Ronon's confession, and could not help when her mouth dropped open slightly. She was about to ask more about what 'making a move' had entailed, but was interrupted by the sound of a tray clattering down on the opposite side of the table.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Rodney McKay nodded briefly to them both before plopping down beside Ronon. He immediately began devouring his lunch. "You know," he started around a mouthful of blue Jell-O, "it is such a _relief_ they finally got this back on the menu." He gestured with cup.

Ronon responded by rolling his eyes, reluctantly sliding his hand from Jennifer's as he leaned back in his chair.

Jennifer barely stifled an amused laugh. "I guess so," she humored Rodney. "I'm partial to the red, myself." As she took a sip of her soda, she looked at looked at Ronon over the rim of the glass and gave him a small smile, which he returned. Rodney remained oblivious to the exchange.

Jennifer's smile faded as a strong meaty aroma assaulted her senses. She looked to see Rodney had finished off his first cup of Jell-O (he had gotten 3 servings), and moved on to—she looked at his plate trying to discern it—Salisbury steak.

Ronon noticed the change in her demeanor. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think. The smell of that steak is just making me nauseous all of a sudden."

Rodney seemed to take offense at that. "Hey, this isn't that bad at all." He seemed to reflect for a moment. "You know," he gestured with his fork. "My little sister, Jeanie, loves this. When she was pregnant she couldn't stand the stuff."

Jennifer choked on the swallow of 7-Up she had been drinking to calm her stomach. Ronon made a move to aid her, but she raised her hand giving him a pointed look. "I'm ok," she coughed. But she wasn't. The coughing spell only seemed to aggravate her nausea more. She had barely started on her lunch and really was not up for another vomiting smell. She rested a hand over her stomach and took a series of deep breath in an effort to quell her rebelling intestines.

As Rodney took in this whole exchange, the hand holding, Ronon's concern for Jennifer, her nausea, a light bulb finally clicked on. "Wait. . .you're not . . . are you?"

Jennifer's out shot open at his observation. She could feel that damned blush rising in her cheeks.

The small, good-natured smile that had been playing on Rodney's mouth faded when Jennifer failed to refute his speculation. Now fully alert to the situation, he caught her eyes as they darted to Ronon. After a moment he said, "Oh my God. _You two?!"_

"_McKay!_" Ronon hissed in a tone that told Rodney to quite down.

"But when did you. . ."

"None of your business," Ronon growled.

"I know_that_," Rodney snapped. Jennifer was amazed at how the scientist remained unfazed by the glare Ronon was burning into the side of his face. "I mean. . . You two. . .wow. Huh."

Rodney's voice softened, as he focused on Jennifer. "I just mean to say. . . I mean, really, are you alright? I'm really sorry about the food and—"

"It's ok, Rodney." Jennifer assured him. "I think the wind has changed, so it's not that bad anymore." She held his gaze, and after a moment, he nodded. Jennifer thought it was sweet how accommodating McKay was attempting to be. He really had come a long way with his social skills.

"Anyway," she lowered her voice. "I—we would really appreciate it if you kept this quiet for the time being." She looked at Ronon to see an unreadable expression on his face other than that he was listening. Apparently he had decided to let her handle this.

"Oh. No problem. Mum's the word," Rodney smiled nervously. He slid his chair back and got up from the table, grabbing his tray. "I think I'll leave you two now. I have a potentially ground-breaking experiment running, and I left Miko to monitor things, so I want to get back in case something goes wrong that only I can fix. You know how it is."

"I really don't," Ronon murmured.

Rodney shot him an annoyed look, but turned a cordial nod to Jennifer before picking up his tray and leaving.

Once Rodney was fas enough way Jennifer sighed heavily, rubbing her hands over her eyes. At the rate they were going the entire base would know by the end of the week, if not today.

"Hey. . . " She looked up into the limpid hazel of Ronon's eyes. He didn't say anything, just reached for her hand, laying his it across the table palm up. She hesitated for only a moment, and then slid her fingers into into the cup of his hand, relishing the warm that radiated has his fingers closed around hers.

He looked at her barely touched lunch. "You done?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Don't have much of an appetite."

Ronon nodded in understanding.

Despite the comfort of Ronon's touch, Jennifer was still becoming overwhelmed by their situation. She felt a lump growing in her throat and found it hard to speak. "I, uhm," she swallowed hard. "I'll take the rest of this food with me to snack on later."

"Ok, let's go." Ronon got up and collected his tray and then moved around to Jennifer's side of the table. He reached up to pick up her tray then stopped short and tapped his ear. Someone was contacting him on his radio. "Ronon here." He waited a moment, listening to the person on the other end. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "I'll be right there."

He turned to Jennifer, indecision reading all over his features.

"What is it?" Jennifer asked.

"He gestured for her to start walking as he began to talk. "An unscheduled mission. Lorne's team's an hour overdue with their check-in. Sheppard wants us to get prepped to check it out."

Without thinking Jennifer felt compelled to prepare to handle anyone who could be injured. Then she remembered she was off duty. "I hope everything is alright."

"Yeah. Better safe than sorry," he shrugged.

"You going back to your room?" Ronon asked after she's picked up a to-go box for her leftover lunch.

She looked up at him and nodded.

"I'll walk you."

"Oh, you don't have to."

"I know. I want to."

Jennifer beamed at him in appreciation. She had expected Ronon to hurry off to his assignment once they left the mess hall, but she was extremely touched by how considerate a person Ronon had been through all of this. Still she had unanswered questions that she just couldn't find the right moment to ask. She knew that she needed to talk things over with him sooner, rather than another two months down the road.

They reached Jennifer's quarters, and Jennifer turned to bid Ronon farewell. "I guess I'll see you later tonight. . .For my appointment?"

"Yeah. Look, if I don't get back in time for whatever reason, just go ahead, ok?"

A year ago, Jennifer would have wondered why Ronon had told her such a thing. However, experience had taught her that things tended to take a turn for the worse whenever Sheppard's team went out on what was supposed to be a 'simple' mission.

"Alright. Just try to come back in one piece."

"I'll try." He smirked, then pulled her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head then released her. Before he moved away, tugged his shirt, pulling him down to her. Normally, she would be self-conscious about such public displays of affection, but those concerns seemed rather pointless now. Plus, she wanted to make up for their interruption earlier.

The kiss was reserved, yet affectionate. She savored the feel of his lips against hers, warm and soft. He pulled away, but she found herself wanting more of him. She barely remembered they were in the hallway_outside_ of her room. Reluctantly released the hold she had on his shirt.

"I do have a job to go to, ya know." Though he was being serious, he couldn't help but smile down at her.

"I know," she sighed.

"I'll see you later," Ronon said, stroking her hair. It was a promise, she knew. He looked her over one last time, seemingly to make sure she was, in fact, alright before turning to head to the briefing.

TBC

* * *

A/N: One person teammate down, two more to go. It's late/early (2:49AM) and my brain is kinda fried with writing this chapter. Your thoughts on it are much appreciated. I really do take your comments into account when writing. Though I have a specific story to tell, I do want it to be entertaining as well. 

I'm just going to have to stop saying what the next chapter is going to be about, because it never quite turns out that way. I end up surprised just like you guys. : ) I didn't expect the pace of the story to slow down this much. I had at least three scenes in mind for this chapter, but only got two long ones out. Actually, I could have written the third scene, but I don't think it goes along with the tone of this chapter. I'm really excited to write it though, if that tells you anything about it. :D The quote in the summary—""There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."—will finally be explained.

Thank you to **Rac80** for being a beta and giving me the idea for the scene with Rodney. That was an extremely big help. Thanks to **Tardis Calling** for the encouragement and insightful comments. I really appreciate **rhaddict**'s criticisms from the get go, which helped me be more mindful of typos. :)

**Duchess67**,** journeyman07**, **penguinopus**, **CatherineRabbb**,** albtb**, **SingingShooter** and everyone else who continues to read this.


	6. Chapter 6

TITLE: Making Up the Past [Part 6

AUTHOR: renisanz

SUMMARY: "There is a reason why the people of Earth should not drink the wine."

CATEGORY: romance, drama (Ronon/Keller)

RATING: PG-13

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, but they're fun to play.

NOTES: Written for the chocfic com February Love-A-Thon at livejournal, but I missed the deadline.

* * *

_We're two spinning spheres,  
Two spinning spheres in a bed of stars  
Silence is super  
Staring into space, I wonder where you are  
You're all that I've ever needed  
I know that you won't feel it_  
"Pressure Suit" by Aqualung

By the time Ronon finally got back to Atlantis, he was tired, miserable and all he wanted to do was find Jennifer. His thoughts had been with her ever since he had left for the briefing that afternoon. It was nearly midnight on Atlantis when he finally stepped through the event horizon onto the sterile floors of the Gateroom.

He barely acknowledged Colonel Carter as she was saying something about having a debriefing in the morning. He was glad of it, though, as he brushed past the other members of his team and headed straight for his quarters. He had only just exited the Gateroom when he finally came out of his mud-caked shirt. Because of the hour, he drew only a few secondglances from a handful of passers-by.

The corridors along the way were mostly dark, mirroring his mood. At last, he came to stand outside the door to his quarters. He took one last step forward, raising his hand to input the code to unlock the door, but paused when he felt his foot scuff against something. He looked down to see a folded sheet of paper wedged into the bottom of the door. He knelt down to pick it up then proceeded to enter his room.

Normally, he would not have bothered to wave his hand over the light control panel. He knew exactly where everything was in his room, and could make it to the shower with his eyes closed. However, he wanted to inspect this note that someone had left outside his door. As the lights came up, it wasn't the sight of his name that surprised him the most, but the fact that it was printed in Satedan. He dropped the filthy shirt he'd been holding in his other hand and used it to unfold the paper. Inside he found more Satedan writing.

_Come by my room when_

_you get this. Don't worry if _

_it's late. I need to see you._

—_Jennifer_

Below it was a distinctly feminine signature. She had signed her name in her own language as well. He re-read the note. It had been too long since he had seen his native language in writing, and it touched him deeply that Jennifer had taken such care in composing the note. He folded the note back up and placed it on a nearby table. He turned as if to leave, but then stopped. Yes, he was exhausted. But he also really wanted to see Jennifer. He really needed a shower, though, and he knew Jennifer would appreciate it if he were clean. That thought put an end to his inner turmoil.

He showered quickly but still savored the sensation of the warm water spraying against his skin, relaxing the tension that had built up in his muscles over the course of the recent mission. After he was clean, he looked around the room for something comfortable to wear. He found a black, close-fitting sleeveless shirt (He had heard some of the marines refer to it as a 'wife beater', but he had no idea what that meant. Sheppard had tried to explain it to him once, talking about a park with 'trailers' and Ronon had stopped paying attention shortly after.) He put on a pair of dark blue pajama pants and was on his way to see Jennifer.

He didn't bother putting on shoes, and as he made his way down the empty corridors of Atlantis he relished the coolness of the tile as it seeped through the soles of his feet. It reminded him somewhat of the feel of Jennifer's fingers against his skin the few times she had not actually been wearing those special gloves.

Now he was standing outside her quarters. It was past midnight, and he was a little leery of possibly waking her. However she had requested that he come, so he was here. He rang the door chime and waited. He was pretty sure a full minute passed, and he was about to ring the chime again when the door finally slid open.

Jennifer did not look surprised to see him. She looked unusually beautiful as the light from her room cast a faint halo around her mussed hair.

"Hey," she smiled up at him. "You got my note," she said. She looked tired but her smile warmed him, welcoming his presence. She stood back and let him pass into the room. The door had just closed behind him when he felt her arms surround his waist and her cheek press against his chest. Instinctively he brought his arms up around her, taking in the faint floral scent that lingered in her hair.

He felt her lean back and he looked down to see her looking up at him. "I'm glad you're back safe," she sighed. "Was everyone alright?"

Ronon didn't want to think about the ordeal the past several hours had been. "Yeah, for the most part. I don't. . .really want to talk about it." He hoped she would understand.

She looked at him questioningly, but after a moment she nodded. "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. There was a lot of mud." When he saw her brow crinkle in confusion he smiled, and paid heed to the sudden urge that had been nagging him ever since she had opened the door—the urge to kiss her. He felt her breath hitch as his lips claimed hers, but in a moment she relaxed into him. He smiled a little when he felt her hands move from his waist to rest on his shoulders. As much as Ronon wanted more of her, he resisted the urge to deepen the kiss and pulled away before his mind became much more clouded with desire. He looked down to see her lidded eyes, then his gaze drifted down take in Jennifer's fitted camisole which—though he really liked her in it—was not doing a great deal to help his situation.

He shifted slightly and cleared his throat, focusing on her face once more. "Did you go get your tests done?" he asked.

"Yeah. I waited as long as possible, then I just got really restless . . . Teyla ended up going with me."

His an eyebrow raised at that revelation. "Really?"

"Yeah, it worked out well as a cover." Jennifer slid her hands down to his forearms. She looked distracted.

"Was everything ok?" Ronon prodded.

"Yes. Marc did—"

"Marc?"

"Dr. Pedersen," she corrected. He saw her cheeks growing pink at that, but decided to ignore it. "He did an ultrasound, and printed out a sonogram. It's an image of the fetus that's taken using high frequency sound waves," she explained.

She turned away from him and walked toward her desk. She picked up a small piece of paper and gave it him. "See."

Ronon's heartbeat began to quicken as he realized he was getting the first glimpse of his child. _Their_ child. He studied the chalky white texture against the black-based background. On the left side of the image were two black sickle shapes that looked like they could be eyes. He asked Jennifer as much.

She came up next to him to observe the sonogram. "Yeah, most people think that's a head and two eyes. It's too early in the baby's development to see all those parts anyway. But the black, oval shape is a baby."

"Ok. . ." he continued to study the image. "But there are two of them. What's the other one?"

He felt her tense against him, and after a few seconds of Jennifer not responding, he looked down at her. Something was wrong. "What is it?" he asked softly.

He felt her arm come around his waist as she finally turned her head to look at him with tear-filled eyes. "That's the other baby."

* * *

_About four hours earlier._

Jennifer was going out of her mind waiting for Ronon to return from the mission. She did not want to draw attention to her concern for him, but was discreetly able to gather a few bits of information. They had made contact with Lorne's team, but had run into some type of difficulty that prevented them from getting back to the 'Gate.

In the interim, Jennifer stayed in her quarters, only leaving once go get some dinner from the mess hall. She had straightened up her room, watched a few episodes of _Firefly_, and had even gotten a head start on filing medical reports that would eventually be sent to SGC.

She had began composing a letter to her father in an effort to prepare him for the news of her pregnancy. However, she could not get past the lines, "Dear Dad, I've met someone," after recognizing how lame that sounded. She thought about ways to describe Ronon and how they'd met without breaking the confidentiality agreement. She found that didn't leave much else to tell.

Jennifer laid her head down on her forearms as they were crossed on her desk and sighed.

The cursor was still blinking on the document file of her unfinished letter to her father when she was awakened by the sound of her door chime. She looked at her watch. It was close to 8 p.m. She sat up slowly, rubbing her neck. Though she'd only been asleep about twenty minutes, she made a mental note not to fall asleep at her desk again. Then it occurred to her that it might be Ronon returned from his mission; she jumped up to answer the door.

The door swooshed open to reveal a heavily pregnant Teyla standing before her. She tried not too look too disappointed, and managed a cheerful smile. She _was_ glad to see her even though she had been expecting someone else.

"Teyla. . . hi."

Teyla seemed to notice the sudden change in her expression. "Hello, Jennifer." He head tilted in her familiar way of inquiry. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Jennifer found it easy to be honest with the Athosian woman. "Yes. Ronon, actually. He left for a mission earlier, and I hoped he would be back by now." As she said this, she gestured for Teyla to enter her quarters. She continued after Teyla passed, "We had. . .plans for later."

Teyla turned slightly, and Jennifer caught the slight cock of Teyla's eyebrow at her vague reference to their activities. "Ah. I see," was all she said.

"Please, sit," Jennifer motioned for Teyla to sit in her desk chair, while Jennifer sat across from her on the bed, cross-legged. "So," she began, deciding to focus the attention on Teyla. "How are things going, with the search for your people, I mean?" She knew that Teyla had been off-world looking for more information about the disappearance of her people.

She immediately regretted the question as she saw Teyla's countenance fall. "There was no helpful information acquired. Still I remain confident that through perseverance we will acquire information of great value. We will find them."

Jennifer admired Teyla's determination in finding the Athosians. Still, she knew that it must be very difficult for Teyla whenever the smallest piece of information only led to another dead end. She could not image how Teyla must be feeling, to have not only her people, but the father of her unborn child missing, with no knowledge of their fate.

"Actually," Teyla began after a pause, "I came by to see how you were doing. Rodney actually suggested I stop by and see you." Jennifer didn't miss the amusement and a bit of confusion in Teyla's tone at retelling of the scientist's request.

Jennifer felt her cheeks growing warm. "Oh. He did, huh?"

"Yes," Teyla affirmed. "He seemed quite concerned about you."

Jennifer held Teyla's eye. She knew what Teyla was implying. Rodney was horrible with people, and had a tendency to be more than a little self-absorbed. He was getting better about it, and she found she really did appreciate Rodney's expression of concern.

She decided she would rather Teyla find out _the news_ sooner rather than later. "I'm pregnant, Teyla."

If this wasn't such a serious matter, Jennifer would have laughed at Teyla's shocked expression. But in an instant it was gone, replaced by a look of calm understanding. "It happened on Ferra," Teyla stated.

Jennifer nodded. "So much for forgetting about that night, huh?"

Teyla looked sympathetic, and Jennifer almost couldn't take it. "Does Ronon know?"

"Yes." Jennifer finally looked away, playing with the edge of her bedspread as she spoke. "I told him this morning, actually. He took it better than I did," she chuckled, at the same time blinking back the tears that were suddenly stinging her eyes. She looked up when her peripheral vision caught Teyla getting up. The woman took the few steps to the bed and sat down next to her, resting a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"I know that this is very unexpected for you. But Ronon will make an excellent father."

Jennifer brushed the tear from her cheek, looking up into Teyla's consoling eyes. "I know. That's not what I'm worried about."

* * *

Ronon Dex was afraid. In that moment, he felt that Jennifer's slim arm around his waist was the only thing keeping him steady, grounded.

He stared at the sonogram again, to study the two oval shapes that had turned his world upside down. He had barely managed to get his mind around the fact that there was one baby. Now there were two.

He felt he needed so say something. "Wow. Uhm . . . I guess we _really_ did it."

"That's what Dr. Pedersen said," he heard Jennifer's slight amusement.

Ronon grunted in response. He felt a small sting of jealousy at how Jennifer had called Dr. Pedersen by his first name earlier. Though he had urged her to go the appointment without him, he was glad that in the end she had not gone alone.

He knew Jennifer's bed was right behind him, so he leaned back to sit on it, pulling Jennifer down next to him. "So. . .twins, huh?"

"Yeah, he felt Jennifer's head lean on his shoulder as she sighed. "It was the wine."

"What?" He looked down at her.

She lifted her head to meet his confused eyes. She had that look she got whenever she was about to go into a detailed explanation of something.

"One of the reasons my hCG levels was so high, unusually high, rather, is because of the twins. But my tests also found that there was some residual traces of a naturally occurring hormone that is used to increase fertility." She paused to take a breath. It was hard to follow all the words she was saying. "On top of that I wasn't on any type of birth control . . . "

He got what she was saying. Kind of. "So. . . something in the wine made it easier for you to get pregnant?" That and the fact they'd both been drugged, which he tried not to think about.

"Basically."

He was glad when she leaned her head on his shoulder once more. He wrapped his arm around her back, resting his hand on her waist as he turned to nuzzle her hair.

"Ronon?"

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"What are we going to do?"

After a moment of considering he decided to ask, "What do you mean?"

He was reluctant to release her when he felt her lift her head and then pull away to look at him. She was still close, though, and he kept his hand on the small of her back.

"I mean that I'm gonna start showing a lot sooner than I thought, which means people are going to find out or I'm going to have to tell them a lot sooner than I thought. And how is this going to affect my position on Atlantis? You saw what happened to Teyla."

He did. Though ultimately, Teyla had decided to no longer participate in off-world missions with her team, it was only _after_ Sheppard had relieved her of active duty.

Jennifer wasn't done expressing her fears. "What if the IOA decides to ship me back to earth because of 'safety concerns' or some nonsense?"

_Damn_. He hadn't thought of that. "They can't do that. You didn't do anything wrong."

"That doesn't matter. I mean, I don't know what will happen, but I'm not expecting a positive reaction from them. We have to be prepared for it."

Though he was heartened by her repeated use of the term 'we', he felt like Jennifer had deeper concerns than the reaction of the IOA. "Why is it any of their business?"

"Our relationship wouldn't be, normally, I guess. We're human beings. But you're from another galaxy, and I'm kind of pregnant with twins. That's a little hard to ignore. And we're not even _married_.

I mean—"

He saw her mortified expression and her cheeks flush bright red. She obviously had not mean to say that last part. But she had said it which, Ronon realized, meant that she had been thinking about it on some level.

"So you want us to get married?" Ronon wasn't proposing, just asking for clarification. He was already aware that Jennifer had conservative beliefs. He had also observed that the people of Earth had differing ideas about marriage and commitment. She had not planned on having sex until marriage, and pregnancy was an obvious sign that she had been intimate with someone. So getting married might seem like a way to 'fix' the situation. Sort of.

So he wasn't surprised when she didn't immediately say 'no.'

"It's not that." She closed her eyes, as if in concentration. When she opened them and looked up at him, he saw newfound determination there. Instinct told him to brace himself for whatever she was about to tell him.

"I just don't want to get used to all this," she gestured in the space between them. "Having you here, sharing a bed at night. . .and then have it taken away, with no promise that I'll ever see you again."

He was about to answer her. _Of course I'm not going to leave you_. However, she raised her hand signaling him to let her finish.

"I know the bed-sharing thing is really comforting and good for the baby—_babies_ and all. But what about after they're born? Atlantis isn't exactly an ideal place to raise a family. I can't stick them in a day-care center here while I continue my duties as Medical CO. I'm not afraid of losing my job or finding another one. . .but what if I _do_ have to move back to Earth?"

He really didn't know how to answer that. Naturally, he wanted to be stationed wherever Jennifer was. However, Earth was her home, while he had found a home on Atlantis. He had no doubt that she cared for him deeply, but he also knew that neither of them had anticipated having to deal with this situation. Ronon allowed his thoughts to linger briefly on the plans he and Melena had, now long gone and turned to dust, along with the rest of the hopes of his homeworld.

"Me saying I'm going to be here isn't enough for you," he stated.

She looked away. "No. . .I believe you."

He didn't believe her. But he had neither the energy nor the desire to call her on it.

"You want to go to bed?" he asked finally. He didn't know what else to say, and he was _really_ tired.

"Sure." He didn't miss the dejected tone to her voice. "I'm sorry. I know you've had a long day," she sighed. "I just. . ." she faltered.

"S'ok." He caught her eyes and smiled a little, just to reassure her before pressing a lingering kiss to her lips.

The sonogram had been in his hand the whole time, and he reached and set it on Jennifer's desk, letting his finger linger on it for a moment before drawing his arm back. When he turned back, Jennifer was pulling back the covers. She held the sheet up for him to swing his legs onto the bed, and then she settled closer to him. As selfish as it seemed, he was glad that she still wanted to share a bed with him. He had been afraid she would ask him leave, that she had reconsidered the whole thing, or just that she wanted some time alone. Women were extremely hard to read when it came to that kind of thing.

It wasn't long before he felt Jennifer's breaths grow slow and deep against his chest. She was asleep. As tired as his body was, his mind continued to race. Their conversation was far from over. Jennifer just didn't realize how serious he was about their relationship. Maybe she had been hurt before and just wanted to be careful. It was like she was holding back from giving all of herself over to their relationship because she felt like it wouldn't last.

He understood her fears. He had been alone for seven years. All that had driven him was his hatred for the Wraith and what they had done to him. They had destroyed everything and everyone he loved. During that time he couldn't allow himself to stop, or take time for himself. It was him and his hatred, and that's all he believed he needed. Then the Atlanteans came along, offering him a fresh start. Sheppard had offered him a place on his team, but it was Elizabeth that had ultimately allowed him to stay in the first place. It took him time to adjust to the idea of there being more to his life than the vengeance. It was hard to let go of, even a little, for it had allowed him to survive for seven years. But the Atlanteans brought with them hope as well as the prospect of a better future for the entire Pegasus Galaxy. Then Ronon Dex was finally able to look forward to. . .well, life. Because of that, he was with Jennifer now, and he didn't regret anything.

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before finally allowing the fatigue finally began to claim him.

_I __will__ marry you_, he resolved, resting his cheek against the satin of her hair as he joined her in slumber.

_There's no way I could describe him  
What I'll say is just what I'm hoping for  
But I will find him sitting on my doorstep  
Waiting for a surprise  
And he will feel like he's been there for hours  
And I can tell that he'll be there for life  
And I can tell that he'll be there for life_  
—"Daydreams" by ADELE

THE END.

. . . but not quite.

* * *

A/N: The story's done. Sort of. 

Yes, I know, John has yet to find out about the pregnancy, as well, as Col. Carter, et al. Ya'll are just gonna have to wait for it. Once again my brain is fried. I tried to wrap up as much as possible in this chapter, otherwise it would never have gotten finished. Seriously, I thought about stopping after the twin reveal and then starting another chapter. I thought this chapter would be a tear-jerker, but I held back in anticipation of the sequel.

**SPOILER ALERT ** Now I have the awesome task of trying to fit the events of the back half of Seaon 4 into the story. _Way to go, Kavanaugh, for blowing up the Midway Station. I'm talking about you, too, Michael, for kidnapping Teyla. _**END SPOILER**

sigh Anyways, thank you guys for all of your comments. They really helped keep this story moving, and they will have a direct effect on how quickly I get the sequel up. Two ideas to whet your appetite: Ronon, Earth clothes. 'Nuff said. If you're really encouraging, there might even be an epilogue to this story. Or maybe just some deleted scenes.

Special thanks go Joanna. : )


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